Ode to Obituary: Joss Stick in the Night
by annyenil
Summary: Fourth installment of the Ode to Obituary series. Abarai Renji's life before death.What happened before the first time shinigamis died? Life before death, life after death, is there a connection between?


**Author's Note: **Haven't written this for so long. I have been saving this up for my beloved Renji. Hahaha. writing this during exam reading day. I ought to be castigated It is actually quite frustrating because I can't seem to write anything else interesting other than this. Please also read my other stories!)f

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Disclaimer: the historical facts and figures in this chapter are true while some are of folklore. However, they are no placed in chronological order.

**The Ode to Obituary**

By annyenil

**Abarai Renji** had been a surly-looking kid. But deep beneath, he was fun-loving and a loyal friend. He had no friends, not because nobody would make friends with him, but because there were nobody to make friends with. Renji's parents were special agents for the Imperial Court: they were the leaders of the Safari Expedition Troop. The Emperor fancied a zoo, and had sent out the special division to gather him animals from the steepest terrains and deepest jungles of Japan.

Renji grew up in a bumpy cabin that smelt very much like the stool of rare, extinct animals. He could not quite remember, but his bunkmates vaguely included beautiful pelicans with brilliant feathers, hyperactive titis with maroon rears and even once, his parents made him in charge of a huge tank of the most delicate fishes in the world. He had been very proud of himself, gazing day and night at those elegant, swirling figures in the water. He was distraught when the fishes died, even though his parents were pretty kind about it.

Renji liked talking to the animals. The Expedition Troop consisted of only adults, mostly bulky, boisterous men who were deft with tools and were good hunters. In fact, the only woman in the Troop had been his mother, and even she was a muscular, exotic woman with pink stripes in her hair and haikus of Matsuo Bashō tattooed all over her arms. Renji had never been held in the arms or told a bedtime story. He was used to being on his own. Very often, he would be made to stay in his cabin with only two tiny windows for some peeking light. He would stay in it days at end, bumping up and down rocky roads, dangerous mountains and arduous slopes. He would always gaze out of his tiny windows in excitement, taking in the maginificent veiws, even if it is only a square frame of the world.

Whenever the campsite had been settled and was not too dangerous for him to run about, he would be allowed to roam about the vincity, playing with the less vicious captured animals and help with the Troop's work. The Troop's members were pretty fond of their "Little Man" and often played wrestling and racing with him. His mother always watched him with twinkling eyes and yelled at her men to quit fooling around.

Renji's father, quite unlike his wife, was a soft-spoken, gentle man who cared for the animals wholely. He had been opposed to the idea of capturing the animals, but the order of the Emperor could not be defied. Every night, Abarai Hogochi would set out a single joss stick at their campsite to pray to the heavens, to forgive him for not being able to protect these animals. Renji loved how his father would gently take his hand and tell him all about the nature, about the creatures they had discovered in this forest and that, and about how to identify those exotic, bizarre-looking plants.

When he was older, perhaps about nine, Renji became understanding of why his father lit the joss stick every night. He asked Mother, "Kaa-san, why must we lock these animals up? Oto-san says that it is bad." Renji looked down, his eyes truly sad for the animals. His mother sighed and ruffled his hair, "Ren-ren, it's the Emperor's oder. You must remember," she squatted down to level his eyes, "That no matter who you are and what you love, the Emperor's words come first." Renji's nodded his head without any comprehension. _This Emperor……who is he? Why is he so important to Kaa-san and Oto-san?_ One of the Troop's combat master who had taught Renji some martial arts moves picked him up and said, "Ren-ren, you must know that whoever that defies the Emperor will be severely punished. We must obey the Emperor, all right? Now, run along."

One day, deep in the moutains of Nagano, there was a huge fracas later followed by a large celebration around a bonfire as the Troop's men celebrated a capture of a most exotic creature. It had the the head of a baboon, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake. It was one wild and magnificent beast and the Troop decided, with this they were begin their return to Kyoto to build the zoo for the Emperor. "Oto-san, what is that?" Renji asked his father who was sitting alone away from the din of the party. The moonlight shown upon the cabin where the creature was resting silently. Abarai Hogochi sighed and picked up his son, "Renji, this is a nue. It is a creature none of us had seen before, except recorded in books."

On the trip back, Renji often peeked at the cabin with the nue in it and found it the most intriguing. He observed that while his mother and the Troop's men were unable to approach the beast, around his father the nue turned into a tamed animal. Renji decided that he would try to make friends with the nue. He crept into the nue's cabin one afternoon and stroke the hair of the maginificent beast. He wasn't the least bit terrified. The nue opened its soft eyes and wagged its scaly tail at him. It was a creature of majesty and dignity, but the cabin had locked up all of that. Renji wanted to free the nue very badly, but he recalled his mother and the hunter's words and could only snuggle next to the nue apologetically.

Abarai Renji had found his permanent best friend at last. He would keep the nue company whenever he could, and snuck it out for exercise when the Troop was having meals. His father saw all fo it, but never mentioned a word, for the nue's freedom was something he coveted for. The nue never ran away, it would always return to Renji. He wasn't sure if the nue understood his explanation of why they had to keep him in the cabin for the Emperor, or why everybody in the Troop were all so obedient to the Emperor, but the nue never tried to escape. Abarai Hogochi chuckled and told Renji, "I think he just likes you." Renji smiled a smile khe had never before in his life, one full of joy and child-like excitement.

When they had finally returned to Kyoto, Abarai Renji was more afraid than he had ever been in his life. His parents were busy setting up the zoo, and he was left alone. He knew where the nue was kept, and would sometime visit it, but this was the real world. Even the Troop's men were not allow to play with him anymore. Renji was left all alone.

Worst still, he had to go to school.

The other children were scared of him. They called him names like Stupid Baboon and Red-haired Devil, making fun of his most distinctive traits:his not knowing how to read, his love for animals and his bright, red hair. Renji was afraid, and his only response was to growl at them, pummel at them and fight with them. He had the strength possessed by none of the children and was often sent home by his angry sensei.

The Emperor loved the zoo. He would visit it almost everyday, and complimented Hogochi Abarai on his excellent work. His favourite exhibit was the nue.

At least, it had been the nue until his nightmares began. Emperor Konoe began having nightmares night after night of the powerful beast looming over the sky, chasing him, tearing up his kingdom. He was unable to rest for nights and became thunderously angry. He believed that Abarai Hogochi had bewitched the nue to haunt him and destroy the kingdom. He ordered both Hogochi and the nue to be killed.

Renji and his mother hugged each other tightly as they watched Hogochi being taken away by the Imperial Guards. His mother was crying, her tears seemed like a never-ending river. Renji did not know what to do, except an instinct telling him that his father would not want the creature to die in captive, unable to shine in its dignity. He broke free of his mother and raced the Imperial Guards to the zoo. He got there first because he had been there many times and knew exactly where the nue was. With his bare fists, Renji summoned all the strength he ever had and broke down the sturdy wooden fence. With his hands bleeding, he quickly hopped on the nue and urged it to run, to run far, far away with him.

The nue carried Renji and they ran into the forest.

_It's over here! Here!_

The Imperial Guards were all around.

The nue stopped. It was tired. Renji dragged it and kept running as fast as his legs could carry him. His feet was bleeding with cuts from stones and grass. His hands were stained red and so was the fur of the nue. But he kept running.

_Run! Run!_

"We've got it! The nue is here!" The Guards shouted. They hadn't known that Renji was with the nue. They hadn't known that a child would be capable of such a thing. "Shoot it down, Commander!"

_Swish!_

Renji's eyes opened wide as he began falling, and falling till he hit the ground, a pool of piercing red formed at his chest. It was warm and smelt of metal. He held on to the nue. A thin, long and deadly arrow had penetrated through both of them. The Imperial Guard was known for its gruelsome weapons and expert skills.

Abarai Renji was panting heavily as life slipped away from him slowly. The nue moaned, and snuggled its head next to Renji.

A sea of red, deep, dark red had spread from where they were. It dyed the grass, the flowers, the insects and the soil red.

They stayed together at the centre of it, watching each other, watching the blood, watching their lives slowly, gradually trickled away.

_Abarai Renji later found his friend the nue again when he became a shinigami. They have never been separated since. The nue had found a name. Its name was Zabimaru_.


End file.
